


Oh, Green Man, Where Art Thou?

by Miraphina Atherton (mew_tsubaki)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Tracey-centric, cameos from others - Freeform, slight TraceyTheoLavender triangle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 18:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11950431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mew_tsubaki/pseuds/Miraphina%20Atherton
Summary: Tracey is a half-blood witch, a mature girl, and a polite person for a Slytherin. However, Lavender Brown gets to everyone, especially Tracey when Lavender swoops in and steals the object of Tracey's affections. Now, Tracey must prove to herself the one thing she'd always doubted….





	Oh, Green Man, Where Art Thou?

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This was done for the 2010 forum-wide competition in the HPFC. The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me.
> 
> House: Slytherin
> 
> Week: Two (second challenge)
> 
> Challenge: Two-character appearance—Tracey Davis and Theodore Nott, amongst others.

In the House of the cunning, Tracey Davis was at her wits' end.

The brunette wondered how she ever could have been Sorted into such a House. Yet, she only wondered and never acted. Her first year at Hogwarts had motivated her to deal with the lot she'd drawn and to persevere. If she could move through this House and graduate, then she was sure she could do anything.

Before coming to Hogwarts, Tracey had always been the leader. It was subtly demanded of her. She had a little brother who needed to be cared for, and he'd always looked up to her. Goodness knew he'd need someone. With her mother being a busy pureblood witch and her father an equally busy half-blood wizard, Lachlan Davis needed a sister on which he could rely.

It didn't matter that, once Lachlan turned eleven, the family had discovered he was a Squib. No, it didn't matter at all. So Tracey took care of him. And she never spoke of family with her fellow Slytherins.

Once, she'd come dangerously close. Draco Malfoy had asked her about the possibility of her mother and father attending some Ministry of Magic function. She'd blindly replied that no, just her mother would, that her father would be out with her little brother.

She'd received strange looks from the others in the Slytherin common room—Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, the two lugs…ah, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, that is…and Daphne Greengrass—and then realized her mistake. It had been a simple yes-or-no question. She'd given a little too much information.

Quickly, Tracey had amended with "Er, no, my parents won't." Luckily for her, no one pressed about the little Davis brother that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

Then.

Some time after that, Tracey had been in the library, looking up a book for a Transfiguration essay. There was a book she desired on the top shelf. From behind, a black-and-green robed arm had reached up and retrieved the title for her. "Thank you…Nott," she'd muttered as she'd turned around and recognized her companion.

Theodore Nott was wiry with dark, messy hair and dark, navy blue eyes. He stood a good head above her and peered down either side of his sharp and narrow nose at her. Her own burnt sepia eyes locked onto his orbs, and she nervously pushed some of her ringlets off her shoulder. She'd never said much to anyone in her House outside of Daphne or Millicent Bulstrode. Zabini bothered her every now and then for assignments, but she'd never before exchanged much more than a greeting with Nott.

"If you'll excuse me—"

"I never knew you had a sibling," he said suddenly. He sat beside her when she took her seat at the study table on which her belongings were spread.

Tracey did the only thing she knew how: She tensed up at the subject of her family. She could handle just about any other situation thrown at her. But people? _Talking_ with them? No.

She sighed. Tracey knew that her fifth year would never go as smoothly as the past four if she conversed with Theodore Nott. She could not remain the wallflower she was if she opened her mouth now. So she made a decision.

Tracey Davis slightly half smiled and replied, "I do. You?"

And that was the end of her.

* * *

While their classmates were busy being teenagers, Tracey and Theo were busy _trying_ to be teenagers. All her life, Tracey had been an adult stuck in the body of a child and then in the body of a preteen, quickly followed by the body of a teen. She'd never put herself in any of those categories, though; she was Tracey, the reliable daughter and, basically, the caretaker of the household.

She had always stepped on eggshells because of her brother's situation, but she was starting to see the mahogany floor underneath as she spoke more and more with Theo. And he really was "Theo" to her, never "Theodore." There was a spark of trust between them, and it went both ways.

Theo was mature and tightlipped, too, but he slowly—more than she—opened up about his angry and abusive father. He never would elaborate much on how the elder Nott _became_ that way, but he didn't have as hard a time explaining his actions when Theo riled him. It explained why Tracey saw the Slytherin in long sleeves most of the time.

Somehow, this odd acquaintance became an odd friendship. Of course, there never was and never is such a thing as friendship in the House of snakes, but Tracey wanted to give it a shot. So this little oddity got them through their fifth year and most of their sixth year.

Stress on " _most_ of their sixth year."

Everyone would forever remember that year. It was the one when they were preparing for N.E.W.T.s and those level classes. It was the one when things became more hectic because Harry Potter was the "Chosen One." It was the one when _Weasley_ made the Quidditch team and that horrible Brown girl thought he was _so_ brilliant and then they started going out.

Really, they only ever snogged, and one couldn't turn a corner without falling over them. Tracey thought it was atrocious, the way Brown looked as if she ate Weasley's face.

"They're two stupid Gryffindors in love," Theo snickered to Tracey one time outside on the green. His eyes watched as the snog/grope-fest known as Brownsley made its way through the halls.

Tracey watched them and then Theo. His eyes still followed them. "They're disgusting. This is our school, for crying out loud. Couldn't they at least find somewhere private?" she finished, sticking her nose back in her notes.

A quiet moment passed between the two. Eventually, Tracey looked back up to find Theo staring at her. "You read too much."

She looked at him with disdain. "I like to read."

"Fine. You _study_ too much."

"I like to study."

"Only Potter's Mudblood mate _likes_ to do that."

Tracey narrowed her eyes. "Are you calling me a Mudblood?"

"Do you want me to?"

She held his gaze for a moment longer, understanding that his retort was an opening for her to share more about her home life. So what if she'd opened up some? He didn't know about Lachlan being a Squib yet. …no. No, she wouldn't tell him. It didn't matter that Theo was the first person in years that she felt comfortable with… She wouldn't tell him.

"Well?" he prodded.

"No," she answered, "of course not." Looking back, Tracey hated that she let him change the subject so easily. If she hadn't let him, she would've been able to ask _then_ the question on her mind:

"Why were you staring so intently at Brown and Weasley?" And Tracey knew Theo didn't have a thing for blokes.

* * *

Tracey had always told herself to watch for the signs in a person's gait and words when something changed. She'd recognized it when she and Theo had first become friends. And she'd recognized the change when she saw him glance at the blonde attached to the youngest Weasley boy's hip.

It was as if she hadn't her fair share of disappointment in life. Besides Lachlan, besides being a Slytherin when she didn't want to be, besides having to grow up so fast that it was as if she'd never had a childhood, Tracey had seemingly grown up without her feelings. Or so she thought. Once upon a time, Tracey thought she was adult, mature enough to handle anything thrown at her.

But sixth year was turning her into a bloody _teenager_.

Not only did Weasley have to break up with Brown, but Brown had to get all mopey and whiny, and, really, what difference did that make? Tracey thought it didn't make any at all, but she saw the way that Theo looked. She knew that a certain lion (or lioness, whatever, she didn't really care) had caught his attention. But she reminded him constantly that lions and snakes didn't mix.

Then Professor Dumbledore died. Draco was a villain for real and not just some confused little wizard looking for attention. Snape was a lot worse than even any of his Slytherins ever could have guessed.

Yes, many of their fellow Slytherins didn't cry or shed a tear at the body of the "daft" headmaster. But he had been the school leader. Tracey hurt. Tracey enjoyed all of her teachers. No one knew that. Except Theo.

She'd raised her wand, helping to light up the sky. She'd turned her head to the right, looking to see if his eyes were glistening, too.

They were, just a little. But he didn't freak out or move away when that pretty little blonde head had rested on his shoulder. He didn't cringe that _that_ hand clutched his robes for comfort, that _those_ tears stained the black material blacker, or that _that_ nose dripped snot disgustingly on his school jumper.

Tracey hurt and cried like all her classmates and schoolmates. But much of it was for different reason.

* * *

Much to the reader's surprise, seventh year flew by in a blur.

Tracey reverted to her old self. She stopped trying to be a girly young one, and she focused more than ever on her studies, partially because she wanted to do well and partially because she wanted to survive. Even Slytherins could have a hard time if they got on the Carrows' bad side…

She hated that Lavender Brown bothered coming to Hogwarts. She hated that Brown was a half-blood and therefore _slightly_ safe from harm. But it couldn't last long. Brown was a known friend and supporter of Potter. That type didn't last long at school those days.

But then the end of the year was upon them. Then it was the end of April and the beginning of May…and the beginning of _mayhem_.

Tracey lost sight of how many bodies she saw, of how many spells flew by in front of her and all around. She'd originally gone with her House, being fine with McGonagall ushering them out since so few of them would fight. Though it didn't really make sense to her. She'd always been the reliable one for her family…shouldn't she be the reliable one for her school? Shouldn't she fight?

At some point, the witch was separated from the others. She didn't know how it had happened, but it did. Tracey just thanked Merlin that she at least had her wand on her. But it was okay. No one harmed her, and she managed to dart through using the castle's shadows; there were so many now, considering all the new debris piling up everywhere.

When she'd reached a certain scene, Tracey…didn't know how to react. At first she was frozen and just watched. The fearsome Fenrir Greyback was rampaging and enjoying terrifying the students. Oh, look there… It was Lavender Brown…

"Tracey?!" a voice asked from behind.

The brunette had turned and saw Theo jog to meet her. Huh. His eyes looked over her as if he actually _cared_ she was all right… No, it couldn't be that. Theo was a good guy, but he looked out for himself, not for others…

Then his attention was grabbed by something else. He'd gasped and run past her. " _No_!"

Tracey watched him the whole time. So what that the Mudblood Granger had saved Brown in the end? Greyback had at least managed a small attack on her. It hadn't been to her face, but her body was horribly mauled enough as it was.

Silently, Tracey felt angered that it hadn't been to the face.

More so, Tracey had wished that this would've all been over a whole lot sooner.

And then it was.

Potter faced the Dark Lord in the remains of the Great Hall. The Dark Lord turned out to be stupid, not at all great as some of the Slytherins whispered or the Death Eaters proclaimed. The Dark Lord's own Killing Curse backfired…and then everyone went about tending to the wounded and grieving the fallen.

Tracey had something to grieve. Her eyes narrowed as Lavender Brown fell so easily, _too_ easily, into Theo's arms. How could Tracey have been so oblivious? She didn't want any other bloody witch to be near him. Theo was _hers_ and hers alone.

Ah. Idea.

Theo always did tease her about reading and studying, but Tracey was smart from all that material. It shouldn't be too bad… If she just went somewhere where no one would see or hear her… If she could do this, things might work, seeing as Theo seemed to have a "baby deer" complex—wanting to care for someone who was injured, rather regardless of who it was… But she had to deal with this first…

Tracey found one of the few empty classrooms still standing and slipped inside. The Silencing Charm was cast with ease, as was the Sealing spell. What came next was the worst part.

As expected, she screamed as she'd never done so before in her life. But what would anyone imagine? Breaking one's own bone… Especially the old-fashioned, non-magical way… It hurt a lot.

When she walked back to the gathering, she strolled over to Theo and _darling_ Lavender as if it were nothing. She even politely asked how Lavender was doing. Lavender was stable and even healing, but Theo looked like a right mess. Ugh, how could he stand to kiss the top of the blonde's head as if it wer nothing?

But wait. There it was. Theo recognized a few things. First, he realized how familiar he was acting with a _Gryffindor_ , and he backed away a bit. He backed away completely when he realized that Tracey was hurt, too. In fact, he hopped up and went to _her_ side, where he belonged, and fretted over her broken right arm.

Tracey had no qualms about playing Theo's sympathies. Maybe his little crush on Lavender had done them both some good: He slightly learned to care for something other than himself, and Tracey learned to care for number one—and got her bloke by default.

Ah. She was quite sneaky. So Slytherin was the right choice after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun! :D I've never written Tracey before, so it was fun to toy with her personality. I had two ideas in mind: make her nice or make her naughty. Obviously, I went with the latter, but I think this turned out nicely. Maybe I'll do another Tracey that's nice sometime in the future… Maybe. ;) Note: The Green Man mentioned in the title is the Green Man of pagan lore. I used him because he signifies rebirth, a process Tracey went through. She was first the good girl…but trials and tribulation reformed her into a cunning Slytherin, the one thing she'd never considered herself as.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please review!
> 
> -mew-tsubaki :3
> 
> Thanks as always to Morghen for beta'ing! XD
> 
> 2017 note: …hmm. It can be tough, writing for a competition. I think the deadline is very difficult to deal with, and it can be hard to define a story idea well by the due date. While I can see room for improvement 7 yrs later, I do rather like how not good (not exactly evil, per se) Tracey was in this entry by the end. I don't often write a charrie this way, so…yeah. Any time I get the chance to write something unusual for me, I seize it. :D


End file.
